Mind Your Manners

I've said it before and I'll say it again. How you eat is just as important as how much or what you do. You've probably "inhaled" food once in your life. You ate it so fast you didn't know what you ate. Well, don't do that. Especially if fat loss is your goal. Research consistently shows that those who eat slowly and mindfully lose more fat and maintain their weight more easily than those who eat voraciously.



Eating slowly and focusing on what you eat allows you to feel more fufilled emotionally and mentally. Here are a few tips to help you slow down:



-Use chopsticks. I remember I first started using chopsticks in the Spring of 2006. I've never stopped. It started as a habit, then it became an idosyncracy, and now it's a potent weapon to maintain a low body weight. I remember eating with one my relatives in Texas. When she saw me eating with chopsticks, she said, "you know, that's probably really healthy! I should do that too." She's right. She didn't need to lose fat, but her assessment was correct! Maybe Asians are small and skinny because they never adopted forks. I like it think it's their diet of fish and vegetables.



-Don't watch TV. Even if you're not eating, don't watch TV. But when you are eating, read something. I like to read scripture. It really forces you to slow down. You should read scripture anyway.



-Read Mindless Eatingi Brian Wosniack, a researcher on eating habits at UPenn. Some of his findings are remarkable and halarious. People will eat stale popcorn if given a larger container to eat from. Yes, stale popcorn. Colors, dish sizes, music, the environment, and the number of people around you can affect how much you eat.



-Chew slowly. If you want to take this to extremes, count to 50 before you swallow. Chewing more produces signals of satiety in your brian, especially the hormones leptin, and...



-Another way to eat like the Asians is to eat until you're 80% full. The Okinawans do this. They don't live to 100 for nothing. It takes about 15-20 minutes for signals of satiety to reach t the brain. If you have extra food, save it for tomorrow. Don't waste it. When you are comfortably full, drink something and enjoy the conversation.

If you're trying to lose weight, try to determine not only how much you eat, and what you eat, but also how you eat. Do you eat in the car? Do you eat in the office? Do you notice what you eat? Eating in a rush is an easy way to add empty and junk calories to your diet.

Research shows that when people eat slowly and mindfully, they're less likely to be overfat. Eating mindfully is more satiating and gives you a feeling of content. You'll feel more fufilled emotionally and mentally.

I recommend you eat low-density foods such as soups, salads, and plenty of fruits and vegetables. This is what I call the volumetrics diet. Eat food that takes awhile to eat. Don't eat 400-calorie cookie bars packaged as "energy" or "protein" bars. Screw those. If you feel like you've eaten like a king, you're not going to eat more later. Feel full now and you're less likely to eat a lot later.